All entries
2,046 entries so far, best known first. 3,431 more are on the list to be written. Narrow by region, kind, purpose, practitioner, belief world, occasion or how alive it is.
RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
PurposeProtectionHealingSeeing and foretellingLuck and prosperityLove and attractionCursing and harmCleansing and purificationSpeaking with spirits and the deadChange and initiationBinding and oathsPower and authorityWonder and entertainment
WhoShamansFolk healersPriests and ritual specialistsWitches, sorcerers and cunning folkDiviners and readersMediums and the possessedCeremonial magicians and alchemistsHouseholds and ordinary peopleStage magiciansScholars and sceptics
BeliefHindu and TantricBuddhistJainMuslim and SufiJewishChristianSikhZoroastrianShinto and TaoistIndigenous and shamanicAfrican and Afro-diasporicPagan and NeopaganEsoteric and occultFolk and village customSecular and stageOther traditions
OccasionWeddings and betrothalFestivalsBirth and childhoodDeath and remembranceHarvest, farming and weatherNew yearInitiation and coming of ageIllness and misfortuneJourneys and voyagesEveryday use
PeopleJapanese (remove)
🇯🇵 JapanItakoイタコ
Blind women in Japan who train to channel spirits and communicate with the dead.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Seeing and foretelling Fading
🇯🇵 JapanŌkuninushi大国主神
A Japanese kami of the earth, nation-building, and protective magic.Being · Protection · Healing Living
🇨🇳 China and 5 moreChinese fortune telling算命 (Suànmìng)
Reading faces, palms, birth hours and places to map a person's luck through lifeTradition · Seeing and foretelling · Luck and prosperity Living
🇨🇳 China and 3 moreQilin麒麟
A legendary chimerical creature from Chinese mythology that signals the arrival or death of a sage.Being · Power and authority Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanOni鬼（おに）
A horned demon of Japanese folklore known for strength and evil deedsBeing · Cursing and harm · Luck and prosperity Legendary
🇯🇵 Japan and 1 moreMisogi禊
A Shinto rite of full-body purification using cold waterRite · Cleansing and purification · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇯🇵 JapanNoppera-bōのっぺらぼう
A faceless spirit from Japanese folklore that mimics human appearanceBeing · Cursing and harm · Wonder and entertainment Historical
🇯🇵 JapanShikigami式神
A conjured spirit from Japanese Onmyōdō, often bound to paper or animal form.Being · Power and authority · Cursing and harm Historical
🇯🇵 JapanHyakumonogatari Kaidankai百物語怪談会
An Edo period Japanese parlour game where ghost stories extinguish candles one by oneRite · Cursing and harm · Wonder and entertainment Historical
🇯🇵 JapanBaku獏
A Japanese spirit said to eat bad dreams and protect sleepersBeing · Protection Living
🇯🇵 Japan and 2 moreTamamo-no-Mae玉藻前
A nine-tailed fox spirit from Japanese legend who possessed emperors and concubines across Asia.Figure · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanInugami犬神
A Japanese spirit of dog possession and folk sorceryBelief · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Historical
🇯🇵 JapanOmamori (sample)お守り
A small shrine charm in a brocade pouch.Charm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇰🇷 South Korea and 1 moreFan death선풍기 사망설
A South Korean urban legend that running a fan in a sealed room causes fatal suffocationBelief Fading
🇯🇵 JapanTeru teru bōzuてるてる坊主
A white paper doll hung outside to ask for sunny weatherCharm · Luck and prosperity Living
🇯🇵 JapanSaruboboさるぼぼ
A faceless red doll from Japan, given as a charm for family and fortuneCharm · Luck and prosperity · Protection Living
🇯🇵 JapanHatsuyume初夢
The first dream of the new year and its traditional omensBelief · Seeing and foretelling · Luck and prosperity Living
🇯🇵 Japan and 1 moreGood Luck Flag寄せ書き日の丸 (yosegaki hinomaru)
A Japanese national flag signed by loved ones to wish a soldier safety and victory.Charm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇯🇵 JapanKin no unko金のうんこ
A Japanese charm shaped like faeces that is believed to bring good fortuneCharm · Luck and prosperity Living
🇯🇵 Japan and 1 moreTennin天人
Heavenly beings in Japanese Buddhism, often depicted as beautiful women with feathered scarves.Being · Luck and prosperity Historical
🇯🇵 JapanHamaya破魔矢
A blunt arrow given at shrines to ward off evil and secure good luck for the new yearCharm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇯🇵 JapanUshi no toki mairi丑の時参り
A Japanese ritual of cursing performed at a shrine during the early morning hours.Rite · Cursing and harm Historical
🇯🇵 JapanFukusuke福助
A kneeling Japanese doll believed to bring wealth and honorCharm · Luck and prosperity · Power and authority Living
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreAsian witchcraft
A broad overview of magical practices and persecution across Asian culturesTradition · Cursing and harm · Protection Living
🇯🇵 JapanUchide no kozuchi打ち出の小槌
A legendary Japanese magic hammer that taps out desired items from thin airFigure · Luck and prosperity · Power and authority Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanOsaki尾先
A mountain spirit in Japanese folklore that brings wealth or possession.Being · Luck and prosperity · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanAkisutozenekoあきすとぜねこ
A Shōwa-era Japanese game that turns lovers' names into a predicted relationship outcomeBelief · Love and attraction Historical
🇯🇵 Japan and 2 moreJapanese numismatic charm絵銭
Coin-shaped charms from Japan used for protection, luck, and blessings.Charm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇯🇵 JapanChinkon kishin鎮魂帰神
A Japanese spiritual practice combining soul calming with spirit possessionRite · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Healing Living
🇯🇵 JapanDōbutsu uranai動物占い
A Japanese divination system that sorts people into animal types based on birthdate and personality axes.Oracle · Luck and prosperity Living
🇯🇵 JapanUkehi誓
A Japanese divination ritual using oaths and sortition to seek the will of the kamiRite · Seeing and foretelling · Cursing and harm Historical
🇯🇵 JapanMisaki御先
Japanese spirit-like entities that serve gods or possess humans with illness and calamityBeing · Cursing and harm · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇯🇵 JapanTide jewels潮干る珠 (Shiohiru-tama) and 潮満つ珠 (Shiomitsu-tama)
Two magical gems from Japanese mythology that control the tides to drown or save enemies.Charm · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanJapanese superstitions
Common beliefs in Japan about luck, numbers, and omens rooted in language and customBelief · Luck and prosperity · Protection Living
🇨🇳 China and 2 moreBuddhist coin charm佛教品壓勝錢
Amulets shaped like coins that bear Buddhist symbols and prayers for protection.Charm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Historical
🇯🇵 JapanTanukitsuki狸憑き (たぬきつき)
A Japanese folk belief where a tanuki spirit possesses a human, causing illness and strange behavior.Belief · Cursing and harm Historical
🇨🇳 China and 3 moreMarriage coin charm夫婦和合花錢
Coin-shaped amulets from East Asia that celebrate marriage, fertility, and conjugal harmonyCharm · Protection · Luck and prosperity Historical
🇺🇸 United States and 4 moreTooth fairy
A childhood figure who exchanges lost baby teeth for gifts or coins.Figure · Luck and prosperity Living
🇨🇳 China and 5 moreMoon rabbit月兔 (yuètù)
A mythical figure seen in lunar markings, pounding elixirs or rice cakes across Asia and the Americas.Being · Wonder and entertainment Living
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreNew Thought
A spiritual philosophy linking mental states to physical health and prosperityTradition · Healing · Luck and prosperity Living
🇯🇵 JapanNamazu鯰
A giant catfish myth believed to cause earthquakes in JapanBeing Legendary
🇯🇵 Japan and 4 moreHousehold deity
A spirit or minor god believed to guard a home and its family members.Being · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
🇯🇵 JapanNurikabe塗り壁
A spirit that manifests as an invisible wall to block travelers at nightBeing · Cursing and harm Historical
🇯🇵 JapanGashadokuroがしゃどくろ
A giant skeleton spirit born from the bones of those who died in war or famine.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanRaijū雷獣
A Japanese lightning creature that sleeps in navels and falls from stormsBeing · Cursing and harm Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanSatori覚
A mind-reading monkey-like yōkai from the mountains of JapanBeing Legendary
🇯🇵 JapanAosaginohi青鷺火
A Japanese will-o'-the-wisp attributed to the glowing flight of herons at nightBelief · Wonder and entertainment Historical
🇯🇵 JapanKijo鬼女
A demon woman from Japanese folklore, born of resentment and karma.Being · Cursing and harm Legendary
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Sarubobo: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Hatsuyume: Takeuchi Seihō, Public domain, source
- Teru teru bōzu: Novaric at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Good Luck Flag: takato marui, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Aosaginohi: Koikawa Harumachi ja:恋川春町 (1744-1789), Public domain, source
- Chinkon kishin: Tomokiyo Yoshisane (友清歓真), also known as Tomokiyo Kyūgo (友清九吾), Public domain, source
- Kin no unko: enmoto, CC BY 2.0, source
- Tennin: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Hamaya: Tomomarusan, CC BY 2.5, source
- Curse: Katsushika Hokusai, Public domain, source
- Fukusuke: Nesnad, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Uchide no kozuchi: Yashima Gakutei, CC0, source
- Tide jewels: Shizhao, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Itako: User Geomr~commonswiki self upload, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ōkuninushi: Yashima Gakutei, CC0, source
- Buddhist coin charm: Scott Semans, CC BY 3.0, source
- Chinese fortune telling: Lai Afong, Public domain, source
- Marriage coin charm: Scott Semans, CC BY 3.0, source
- Qilin: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Moon rabbit: An artist, Public domain, source
- Oni: Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎 (1760-1849), Public domain, source
- Tooth fairy: Eden, CC BY 2.0, source
- New Thought: Nyttend, Public domain, source
- Namazu: Anonymous Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Nurikabe: Anonymous Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Gashadokuro: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Misogi: Ds13 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Noppera-bō: 芥川龍之介, Public domain, source
- Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai: Katsushika Hokusai, Public domain, source
- Baku: Momotarou2012, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tamamo-no-Mae: ウィキ太郎 Wiki Taro, Public domain, source
- Asian witchcraft: Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Public domain, source
- Household deity: Claus Ableiter, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Inugami: Sawaki Suushi (佐脇嵩之, Japanese, *1707, †1772), Public domain, source